Welcome to the International Skeptics Forum, where we discuss skepticism, critical thinking, the paranormal and science in a friendly but lively way. You are currently viewing the forum as a guest, which means you are missing out on discussing matters that are of interest to you. Please consider
registering so you can gain full use of the forum features and interact with other Members. Registration is simple, fast and free! Click here to register today.

And if watching TV has taught me anything, it's that sealed guilty pleas are usually associated with plea bargains, and cooperation with investigators who are chasing bigger fish.

But that could just be wishful thinking on my part.............

I think you're right, and this is definitely the story to watch. Papadopoulos is tied to the Steele dossier, and this is a second confirmation of direct collusion with Russians to influence the election with dirt on Hillary.

In June, a Belarusan American businessman who goes by the name Sergei Millian shared some tantalizing claims about Donald Trump.

Trump had a long-standing relationship with Russian officials, Millian told an associate, and those officials were now feeding Trump damaging information about his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton. Millian said that the information provided to Trump had been ďvery helpful.Ē

Unbeknownst to Millian, however, his conversation was not confidential. His associate passed on what he had heard to a former British intelligence officer who had been hired by Trumpís political opponents to gather information about the Republicanís ties to Russia.

The allegations by Millian ó whose role was first reported by the Wall Street Journal and has been confirmed by The Washington Post ó were central to the dossier compiled by the former spy, Christopher Steele. While the dossier has not been verified and its claims have been denied by Trump, Steeleís document said that Millianís assertions had been corroborated by other sources, including in the Russian government and former intelligence sources.

<snip>
Millian told several people that during the campaign and presidential transition he was in touch with George Papadopoulos, a campaign foreign policy adviser, according to a person familiar with the matter. Millian is among Papadopoulosís nearly 240 Facebook friends.

Reading the indictment the Russia connection is rather obvious, as it is about financial ties between Manafort and his associates and Yanukovic and the Party of Regions in the Ukraine - a man and a party with heavy backing from Putin. There's nothing in the indictment to implicate Trump, but what is there will probably worry the Cheeto Supreme, as it's about money-laundering and illicit business practices which is what has been put forth as possible charges against the big man himself.

So the Trump campaign was aware that the Russians had hacked Hillary's/DNC's emails?

I thought that was common knowledge. He asked them on camera to produce them.

If I remember correctly, Trump's statement was that he asked for them to find the emails supposedly deleted from her private server when she was secretary of state, a system that, as far as I know, had never been affected by hacking. (i.e. its a different issue than the Democratic party email servers.)

So, Trump wasn't suggesting the release of information he knew existed, he was calling for a foreign entity to hack American computers. A stupid thing to do, but a different type of stupid.

If I remember correctly, Trump's statement was that he asked for them to find the emails supposedly deleted from her private server when she was secretary of state, a system that, as far as I know, had never been affected by hacking. (i.e. its a different issue than the Democratic party email servers.)

So, Trump wasn't suggesting the release of information he knew existed, he was calling for a foreign entity to hack American computers. A stupid thing to do, but a different type of stupid.

right.

Because Trump is always so precise in his statements that there is little room for interpretation.

__________________"When someone asks you if you're a god, you say "YES"!"

If I remember correctly, Trump's statement was that he asked for them to find the emails supposedly deleted from her private server when she was secretary of state, a system that, as far as I know, had never been affected by hacking. (i.e. its a different issue than the Democratic party email servers.)

So, Trump wasn't suggesting the release of information he knew existed, he was calling for a foreign entity to hack American computers. A stupid thing to do, but a different type of stupid.

Most reasonable people see that Trump was mocking the media. Good try though

But itís still a hoax, your side doesnít have a thing and Mueller needs to resign and get ready to be interviewed.

Let me fix that for you:

"Yes I am Trolling, Boo

But itís still a hoax, your side doesnít have a thing and Mueller needs to resign and get ready to be interviewed. nothing that follows the trolling confession can be taken seriously and is divorced from reality."

__________________Doubt world tour locations:

Detroit, Mexico, Detroit, Mexico....
Repeat for all of 2017 except when on vacation.

Democratic power lobbyist Tony Podesta, founder of the Podesta Group, is stepping down from the firm that bears his name after coming under investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller. [...]

Podesta’s decision to leave the firm came on the same day that former Donald Trump campaign aides Paul Manafort and Rick Gates were indicted on multiple charges, including money laundering, operating as federal agents of the Ukrainian government, failing to disclose overseas bank accounts and making false statements to federal authorities. Trump campaign foreign policy advisor George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty earlier this month for lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian officials, according to court records.

The investigation into Podesta and his firm grew out of investigators’ examination of Manafort’s finances. Manafort organized a PR campaign on behalf of a nonprofit called the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine. Podesta Group was one of several firms that were paid to do work on the PR campaign to promote Ukraine in the U.S.

Podesta Group filed paperwork with the Justice Department in April stating that it had done work for the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine that also benefited the same Ukrainian political party that Manafort once advised. Podesta Group said at the time it believed its client was a European think tank untethered to a political party. [...]

The summary is, Trump's ******. Papadopolous is the smoking gun, all of his actions described in the indictment fit the timeline perfectly and make it painfully obvious that Trump knew exactly what was happening.

I'm pretty sure that only applies to well connected people. If you're an average Joe and you start a drunken brawl in a bar in the wee hours of Saturday morning, there's a good chance your won't get bailed out until Monday

The investigation into Podesta and his firm grew out of investigatorsí examination of Manafortís finances. Manafort organized a PR campaign on behalf of a nonprofit called the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine. Podesta Group was one of several firms that were paid to do work on the PR campaign to promote Ukraine in the U.S.

Or maybe it all has to do with Manafort. Either way, we'll find out. You have some of that ... you know... evidence ?

Or just the_donald conspiracy theories ?

__________________"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States...nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'" - Isaac Asimov

Umm, I don't think you need a judge for an arrest warrant, the prosecuting attorneys issue official charges. And it's pretty easy for the prosecutor to get a Grand Jury to indict. They present a case with no defense allowed. No one is there to object to evidence or questioning.

Well yes, there is an old saying that a grand jury will indict a ham sandwich if the prosecutor wants it to.

If I remember correctly, Trump's statement was that he asked for them to find the emails supposedly deleted from her private server when she was secretary of state, a system that, as far as I know, had never been affected by hacking. (i.e. its a different issue than the Democratic party email servers.)

So, Trump wasn't suggesting the release of information he knew existed, he was calling for a foreign entity to hack American computers. A stupid thing to do, but a different type of stupid.

Most reasonable people see that Trump was mocking the media. Good try though

First of all, you are assuming that Trump is actually smart/clever enough to engage in any sort of mocking. Given the fact that Trump has an intelligence level roughly the same as Forrest Gump, it would be correct to be skeptical of a claim that its just 'mockery'.

But lets give him the benefit of the doubt... lets say he really didn't want Russia/China to hack into Clinton's emails. Its still a joke/comment of a very questionable nature. (There are some things you don't joke about.)

Keep in mind that at the time, multiple Republican congress critters also criticized Trump fro his comments.

This forum began as part of the James Randi Education Foundation (JREF). However, the forum now exists as an independent entity with no affiliation with or endorsement by the JREF, including the section in reference to "JREF" topics.

Disclaimer: Messages posted in the Forum are solely the opinion of their authors.